Mauritius tuna sector must adapt to survive

PORT LOUIS – The Mauritius tuna processing industry must evolve to producing higher value-added products and process more of the area’s catch if its two companies are to survive increasing global competition, a senior industry official said on Friday.

Foreign fishing fleets, cheaper labour in Asia and the anticipated end of trade preferences all are starting to affect the industry, said Joel Bruneau, general manager of Thon des Mascareignes (TDM), which is owned by Mauritian conglomerate Ireland Blyth Limited (IBL). “Our primary concern is obviously the World Trade Organisation,” he told Reuters, adding that the disappearance of trade preferences was just a matter of time.TDM sells 70 per cent of its processed tuna to Europe and 30 per cent to North America and benefits from duty-free access under Europe’s Cotonou agreement, he said.The Indian Ocean nation’s sugar and textile industries also face the loss of trade preferences but are adapting in part by shifting to higher value-added products, in which Mauritius is more competitive.”The same logic should apply to tuna processing,” Bruneau said, citing as an example tuna that is packaged along with spices and oils.”We don’t want to compete with low-cost nations,” he added.TDM, one of the country’s two processing companies, processed roughly 50 000 tonnes of tuna last year.The Indian Ocean accounts for nearly a quarter of the global tuna catch, with some 1,2 million tonnes in 2003, but unregulated fishing is putting efforts to manage the resource at risk.Mauritius does not have a significant fleet of its own, Bruno said.Fleets from a number of countries fish in nearby waters and bring tens of thousands of tonnes of tuna to the docks in Mauritius, where it is loaded to other ships and then exported to other countries for processing, he said.Nampa-AFP”Our primary concern is obviously the World Trade Organisation,” he told Reuters, adding that the disappearance of trade preferences was just a matter of time.TDM sells 70 per cent of its processed tuna to Europe and 30 per cent to North America and benefits from duty-free access under Europe’s Cotonou agreement, he said.The Indian Ocean nation’s sugar and textile industries also face the loss of trade preferences but are adapting in part by shifting to higher value-added products, in which Mauritius is more competitive.”The same logic should apply to tuna processing,” Bruneau said, citing as an example tuna that is packaged along with spices and oils.”We don’t want to compete with low-cost nations,” he added.TDM, one of the country’s two processing companies, processed roughly 50 000 tonnes of tuna last year.The Indian Ocean accounts for nearly a quarter of the global tuna catch, with some 1,2 million tonnes in 2003, but unregulated fishing is putting efforts to manage the resource at risk.Mauritius does not have a significant fleet of its own, Bruno said.Fleets from a number of countries fish in nearby waters and bring tens of thousands of tonnes of tuna to the docks in Mauritius, where it is loaded to other ships and then exported to other countries for processing, he said.Nampa-AFP